Please sign up to testify on the Mayor’s Crime Bill.
We are encouraging our members to voice their concerns to the DC Council in the wake of significant increases in a number of major crimes in the District. Mayor Bowser recently introduced legislation addressing critical gaps in our public safety and justice laws to help build a stronger, safer DC. See the Mayor’s website for more information: together.dc.gov/saferstronger.
A public hearing on the measure will be held on June 27th at 12:00 PM. The Chamber urges all its members to consider testifying in support, including business owners, workers and customers. Please sign-up before June 26th by emailing [email protected].
FY 2024 Budget
The Committee of the Whole (COW) approved the first reading of its budget on May 16. The Local Budget Act was passed on second reading on May 30. The second, and final, budget vote on the Budget Support Act was held on June 13, 2023. The Mayor is expected to sign these budget bills and the FY 2024 budget is scheduled to take effect in October. The Chamber has identified the following proposals impacting the business community:
- Councilmember Nadeau’s $2 “congestion fee” for rideshares, which the Chamber opposed, was replaced by a $.25 (gas), $.15 (hybrid) & $.10 (electric vehicles) surcharge for all rideshares originating from the District.
- The Council zeroed out the Mayor’s $116M K St Transitway funding, replacing it with $4M to redesign the plan – subject to active Council rejection w/in 60 days.
Councilmember Allen moved up the effective date for full implementation of previously enacted Transit Benefits and BEPS legislation. The Mayor had proposed delays for each in her own budget submission.
DC Council Legislative Activities
Salary/Wage Transparency Legislation.
A series of “salary transparency” bills were the subject of a recent hearing before the Executive Administration and Labor Committee chaired by Councilmember Anita Bonds. If these bills adversely impact you or your business, please let us know so we can take those concerns to the committee.
- B25-0026, the Pay Range Act of 2023 establishes requirements prohibiting employers from posting a job advertisement without including the minimum and maximum salary or hourly pay information.
- B25-0140, the Fair Wage Amendment Act of 2023, prohibits an employer from screening prospective employees based on their wage history or inquiring about the wage history of a prospective employee.
- B25-0194, the Pay Scale and Benefits Disclosure Amendment Act of 2023, requires private employers with over 25 employees to disclose the pay scale and benefits associated with positions advertised to prospective employees.
B25-0114 “Stop Discrimination by Algorithms Act of 2021”
The “Stop Discrimination by Algorithms Act of 2021,” seeks to prohibit the use of algorithmic decision-making in an unlawfully discriminatory manner and would require corresponding notices to individuals whose personal information is used in certain algorithms to determine employment, housing, healthcare and financial lending. The measure was recently refiled in the new Council session by Councilmember Robert White, Jr., who championed last year’s bill, along with co-introducers Lewis George, Allen, Parker, and Bonds. The bill has now been sequentially referred to the Committee on Business and Economic Development chaired by Councilmember McDuffie, and the Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety chaired by Councilmember Pinto. Last year, the Chamber led a successful effort to delay formal action on the bill. This year, we intend to focus our efforts on defeating or, if necessary, fixing this legislation. We anticipate further consideration of the bill now that the Council’s work on the FY 2024 budget has been completed.
B25-0228 “Rediscover Equitable Central Occupancy Vitality and Encourage Resilient Yield (Recovery) Amendment Act of 2021”. This legislation filed by Councilmember Pinto would provide an economic recovery package for the Central Business District (CBD), including incentivizing both mixed-use conversions and new businesses seeking to locate in the CBD. It would also provide temporary tax relief for innovative businesses that locate downtown and meet hiring and economic inclusion requirements. The bill was heard by the Committee on Business and Economic Development last year and reintroduced on March 20th as an updated/enhanced version of a previous measure, B24-0454.
Committee Updates
DC Chamber Technology Subcommittee
Would you like to understand and leverage different technology trends to protect and grow your business? If so, the DC Chamber of Commerce Technology Subcommittee may be the right forum for you. The subcommittee will help members take advantage of technology to improve their businesses and better serve their customers. It will also connect members with colleagues working in technology and give voice to members on technology-related legislative and regulatory issues. If you are interested in joining the Technology Subcommittee, please contact Brett Allen ([email protected]).
Scorecard
The Chamber is forming a working group to build on the success of our first-ever Council Scorecard. The group will consider enhancements to the current Scorecard. Please notify Brett Allen ([email protected]) if you are interested in participating. To download and view the full scorecard, please visit https://dcchamber.org/2022-scorecard.
Tax Revision Commission
With the help of our expert working group, the Chamber provided the DC Tax Revision Commission a series of initial recommendations at a public stakeholder input session earlier this year Our working group is now responding to a Commission request for feedback on a new “Business Activity Tax.” If you are interested in joining our tax working group, please contact Brett Allen ([email protected]).
Upcoming Events
Business After Business Happy Hour (Kaliwa) — DC Chamber members, neighbors and friends of John Marshall Bank and TD Bank are invited to join us for an evening at the DC Wharf for a business networking event at Kaliwa. Register now!
June 22, 2023. 4:30-6:30pm @ Kaliwa- 751 Wharf St SW, Washington, DC 20024.
ChamberWorks: New Member Orientation – June 28, 202 from 10am-11:30am. Learn more about the DC Chamber of Commerce and member benefits at this free, virtual orientation. Register now!!
